NYC LGBT Center Honors Hillary Rodham Clinton

New York City's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center (The Center) will honor Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday, April 20, 2017 at its annual Center Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street. Secretary Clinton will receive The Center's Trailblazer Award in recognition of her tireless work in the fight for full equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

"It is an incredible privilege to honor Secretary Clinton for her lifetime of service to the American people, and particularly her service on behalf of marginalized populations including the LGBT community," said Glennda Testone, Executive Director of The Center. "The Center thanks Secretary Clinton for her tireless work to help all Americans, and particularly LGBT Americans, advance in the fight for justice and equality."

Secretary Clinton has been a vocal advocate for LGBT rights throughout her career. In the U.S. Senate, she championed legislation to address hate crimes, fought for federal non-discrimination legislation to protect LGBT Americans in the workplace and advocated for an end to restrictions that blocked LGBT Americans from adopting children.

As secretary of state, she advanced LGBT rights abroad and enforced stronger anti-discrimination regulations within the State Department, declaring on the global stage that "gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights."

Secretary Clinton also led the effort to pass the first-ever U.N. Resolution on LGBT Human Rights, launched the Global Equality Fund, ended State Department regulations that denied same-sex couples and their families equal rights, helped implement LGBT-friendly workplace policies and updated the State Department's policy so that transgender individuals' passports reflect their true gender.

The Center will also honor distinguished fashion designer Marc Jacobs with its Visionary Award, as well as Jan Siegmund, Corporate Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of ADP, with the Corporate Impact Award and Carmelyn Malalis, Chair and Commissioner of the New York City Commission on Human Rights, with its Community Impact Award.

Each year, Center Dinner brings together over 800 influencers and tastemakers in the LGBT community to raise funds for The Center's programs and services, with a special emphasis on supporting youth programs. The Center is dedicated to empowering LGBT youth to become healthy, successful adults through substance use treatment and prevention, leadership and employment opportunities and HIV/AIDS prevention and education.